“Don’t let a good crisis go to waste.”
Churchill supposedly said it first, and then the phrase was contemporized by Congressman-turned Chief of Staff-turned–Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Earlier this week, the concept came into full frame with the onset and then the sudden reversal of the Trump “federal freeze.”
Nonprofits, healthcare providers, universities, media outlets all faced one of their worst nightmares coming true. And those are just the impacted entities that we’re aware of at CBL because they’re our clients!
The chaos, confusion and concern were almost palpable in calls we took in the early hours after the OMB memo surfaced.
Organizations providing critical services—housing assistance, food security, healthcare, legal aid—are already stretched thin, operating in a system that chronically underfunds them. The freeze posed a nightmare scenario: meet rising community needs with even fewer resources.
Rather than simply conceding, an opportunity emerged for those that saw it.
Instead of focusing solely on reversing the freeze, some advocates seized the moment to tell a larger story—one that goes woefully underreported in the media (sorry, journo friends, but ’tis true).
Leaders went on air, held impromptu press conferences, and amplified real-world examples of the funding shortfall’s human cost. Their message was clear: the freeze was devastating, but it was merely an acute symptom of a deeper, systemic issue.
Their call for immediate action—lifting the freeze—was wrapped in a broader narrative: nonprofits have been underfunded for years, and this crisis is proof of the urgent need for sustained, increased investment.
The immediate call was answered: Faced with mounting public scrutiny and bipartisan concern, the administration reversed course.
But the real win wasn’t just in restoring funding—it was in planting a new idea in the minds of policymakers, funders, and the public: if this freeze nearly broke the system, what does that say about the system itself?
Crises test organizations in ways few other challenges can. For those who understand the power of strategic communications and rapid response, worst-case scenarios can also be the catalyst for long-term gains.
This article was written by President Natalie Bauer Luce. Natalie is a seasoned communications and public affairs strategist with extensive experience in government, law, media, politics and business.